Bilal x Malcolm X | By Any Means Necessary

Paying homage to Civil Rights leader Malcolm X's iconic pose where he was looking out from behind a window curtain with a rifle [M1 Carbine] in hand, Bilal redoes it with a soulful twist. Mr. Oliver's weapon of choice is a microphone, however, and he's peering out from behind a heavy red curtain, the kind that you might find on a stage. This imagery and the meaning held therein is quite powerful and just as revolutionary.

This isn't the first time that an artist has recreated Brother Malcolm's militant stance on an album cover. The artwork for Boogie Down Productions' 1988 classic By All Means Necessary shows KRS-One in the same pose holding a semi-automatic.

In an interview with Beats, Boxing and Mayhem Bilal explains, “The concept is getting my art out by any means necessary. Even through all the pitfalls, the dark side of industry and the bullshit you go through.”

Bilal continues, “I’m going to get it out in the manner it should be; not watered down or anything against how I want it. That photo is a reminder of that. It’s uncut, raw music that I’m putting out. And I’m willing to do whatever to get it out.”

Support BO and buy AR.

*Interview courtesy of BBM + words & images courtesy of SB.

SP-1200 Vapors

See the Village Voice for: The Dirty Heartbeat of the Golden Age article written by Ben Detrick on November 13th, 2007 4:44 PM; where Detrick interviews: The Cast:Hank Shocklee Part of the Bomb Squad and producer for Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and Slick Rick

• Lord Finesse Producer for the Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and Big L
• Pete Rock Recording artist with CL Smooth and producer for Heavy D, Nas, Das EFX, and House of Pain and
  
• Ski Producer for Jay-Z, Camp Lo, and Sporty Thievz.

In the summer of 1987, E-mu Systems released the SP-1200, a drum machine and sampler designed for dance-music producers. An update of a previous model known as the SP-12, the souped-up edition allowed for the recording and manipulation of a 10.07-second sample with gritty 12-bit sound quality—now you could craft a complete instrumental on one portable machine.
Just as the Stradivarius or the Fender Stratocaster were standard-bearers by which other instruments were judged, the SP-1200 quickly became the tool of choice for East Coast beat-makers during rap's so-called "Golden Age," a period during the late '80s and early '90s, when sampling laws were still being meted out in courtrooms.

In other news courtesy of AHH:
Juice Crew Story Coming To Theaters In 'The Vapors' as reported by Mike Winslow on Sunday, November 18, 2007 12:24 PM:
The story of legendary Hip-Hop collective The Juice Crew is coming to the big screen in a new movie titled The Vapors.
The Vapors will be directed by Furqaan Clover, who also recently shot Queen of Media, which tells the story of radio personality Wendy Williams.
The character driven story is inspired by the true life events of DJ Marley Marl, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and Roxanne Shante and chronicles the group’s rise to fame during Hip-Hop’s golden age.
The legendary collective was headed up by Marley Marl and featured legendary rappers like MC Shan, Big Daddy, Kane, Craig G., Biz Markie, Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo, Roxanne Shante, Masta Ace, TJ Swan, Cool V and Tragedy.
Juice crew members Roxanne Shante and Biz Markie released seminal records on the Philadelphia-based Hip-Hop label Pop Art in 1984, before entering into rap history when Juice Crew member MC Shan released the classic single "The Bridge" in 1986.
The single sparked "The Bridge Wars" between MC Shan and the Juice crew and Bronx rapper KRS-One and his Boogie Down Productions, one of the most legendary feuds in Hip-Hop history.
The Vapors is scheduled to start filming in January of 2008.

+AHH: The AllHipHop Top 20 Dopest Verses Ever!

I Was Listening to BDP When Suddenly...

Steady B: Serious (Ceereeus BDP Remix) (Produced & Mixed by KRS-One)
From: Serious/I Got Cha 12" (Jive, 1988)

The Turtles: I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're The Royal Macadamian Nuts)
From: The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands (Sundazed, Nov. 1968)

Before serving a life sentence in a Pennsylvania state prison for his role in the murder of a Philadelphia police officer during a botched bank robbery in January 1996 Steady B's Serious remixed by Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone (KRS-One) was one of the myriad antecedents that corroborate '88 as my favorite year.

+ Download the entire Serious/I Got Cha 12" at RapChwast


*Steady B: Free Steady B I Myspace I Myspace TV
*Steady B: Serious lyrics
*Purchase Serious/I Got Cha: eBay $125
*The Turtles vs. De La Soul

Naslib

Nas & Madlib: Nastradamus
From: Stopsmiling 30 + DJ Serv1 Presents: Naslib

Madlib: Nas vs. Jay-Z 2 (Snippet)
From: Mind Fusion, Vol. 4 (Stone Throws, 2006)

Stopsmiling 30 + DJ Serv1 Nas + Madlib blends, like many of its predecessors, are prostrate from off-beat doublets (Nas a capella and Madlib instrumentals). This heterogeneous cacophony finds emendation by way of delete. However, the latter proffering wears 'augmented reality' glasses and tackles tunnel vision.
Conversely, the Madlib issued Nas vs. Jay-Z 2 is ornate with mellifluous euphony.

In other unrelated news:

• R.I.P. Randy Hubbard Parker: KRS-One's Son
• Crunk Added To Webster's Dictionary
  

*Madlib: Stones Throw I Myspace
*Nas: Def Jam I Sony Urban/Columbia I Myspace
*Stopsmiling 30 + DJ Serv1: Myspace
*Snippet truncated with Total Recorder Professional Edition